Born to be Wild! And so it begins.... Wimpey, finally, has started the rape of Pollok Estate in the name of "progress" (read profits). But so has the resistance! As soon as the tree choppers arrived on the 14th of February, people went into action. Over 100 people, from all across Glasgow, soon faced Wimpey employers across a line of over 100 police. Obviously "protecting" a bunch of tree killers against non-violent protesters is more important than stopping crime. Abuse was hurled, people tried to D-lock themselves to trees, but the thin blue line held firm, making sure that profit not people was on the agenda. Then, across the road bed, came help. Gathering like a storm, the weans of Pollok exploded into the struggle, blowing the cops away and the minds of the protesters. Soon the destruction halted as they jumped on tree cutting equipment and reminded the workers of the human costs of their work. "Have you got asthma? I've got asthma!" went the cries. Some of the workers realised the results of their action and quit. 26 left that day, many joining the protesters. z3 an hour (and that's double time!) cannot buy an individual's humanity and feelings, no matter how much Wimpey hope. Lets hope the rest of their employees realise that "just following orders" impresses no one. The next day, Wimpey tried again. After initial success near Hagg's Castle, protesters again brought work to a grinding halt. They surrounded a landrover and stopped it in its tracks. The action allowed protesters to talk with the workers, urging them to think beyond money, to act against what they know is wrong, destroying the environment and the health of people like them. The cutting was stopped and they did not reappear. Again, victory..... It says a lot for the Pollok Free State and Earth First! that Wimpey is now running weeks behind schedule. They should have started chopping trees at the start of January! They finally got the bottle mid February. And no wonder. You can feel it as soon as you enter the Free State. History is being made. The very process of struggle is creating a new community, a new vision of what should be and what can be. A practical anarchy is being formed within the system. A community of resistance, a commonwealth of cooperation within humanity and within nature. This vision can be felt everywhere, from everyone. It is liberating. You feel it, you know it. We can change things by ourselves, we can win, we can create a better society. We, by our actions, our decisions, our feelings, our hopes, make history, create the future. Its in our hands, its our lives.... This is why the Criminal Justice Act exists. It tries to ban direct action, limit our freedom to protest and party. Why? Partly because direct action is effective. But direct action does more than get results. It changes people. It produces communities, it creates a new way of thinking and looking. What seemed "normal" before becomes oppressive and unnecessary after. The CJA is the latest in a long line of attacks on our class. The latest attempt by the state to keep us isolated. Isolated people are no threat to power. Isolated people cannot challenge their authority or their system. Isolated people cannot make history. That's what direct action changes. It breaks down the barriers. It creates alternatives. That is why power hates it. Pollok Free State shows what is possible. We need to fight the whole culture that has been built up around delegating activities and power to others. Anarchism is trying to oppose this culture of dependency and build a new kind of culture that is based on mutual aid, self-activity, self-organisation, self-help and self- liberation, as individuals and as a class. We must not think that the anti-M77 resistance is just about motorways. No, its far more. Its about putting life before profits. Its about how we live. Its about why we live. We must create more examples of practical anarchy, in our communities and workplaces. Only by supporting and spreading this struggle can we stop the motorway madness. The school revolt is just one example. By working together we can enjoy the freedom of protest and create a community of hope. By resistance we can change the world. We have a new world in our hearts, its time we created it!